Hand luggage



1944- G. H. WHEARY, JR 2,357,037

' HAND LUGGAGE Filed April 15, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 29, 1944. G. H. VQ'HEARY, JR

HAND LUGGAGE Filed April 15, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug.29,- 1944. G H W ARY, R 2,357,037

HAND LUGGAGE Filed April 15, l940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 EEUI'QE Henry Weary Jr- Aug. 29, 1944.. G. H.'VVHEAR Y,-JR

HAND LUGGAG E Filed April 15; 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w w. mm. b n 2 w m w "0. E 2 0 H s .0. c "a g .1. 0/ MM W. 2 w 4, $4

Patented Aug. -29., 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAND LUGGAGE George Henry Wheary, Jr., Racine, Wis.,'assignor to Wheary, Incorporated consin a corporation of Wis- Application April 1.5, 1940, Serial No.329, 690

3 Claims.

This invention "relates to hand luggage and has as a general object, the provision of an entirely new method of making hand luggage cases bywhich not only unprecedented strength, lightness and novel design are achieved, but also a suh'stantialcost reduction is effected.

More specifically, it is an object of this in.- v ntion to provide a new and improved method or making hand luggage which departs from geherauy accepted and universally I, practiced methods, molding or for'rnin each of the complementary sections of a hand luggage case "from a composite sheet of fibrous material.

Another object of this'invention is to provide a hand luggage case wherein the complementary hingedly connected sections are each formed in one piece and wherein tension fibers embedded in the 'Walls of the sections extend continuously from the upper edge of each sec- 'tion to the lower edge thereof.

Another object or this invention resides in the provision of a handluggage case wherein each of the complementary hingedly connected sections is molded as a one piece unit having outwardly bulged or convex Walls merging into each other to resist inward pressure applied on thewalls of the case.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hand luggage case having its complementary sectionsformed in 'one 'piece into a noncircular substantially rectangular shell having outward- 1y bulged convex'walls and provided with a metallic reinforcing band encircling the edges thereof to resist deformation.

Another object or this invention is to provide interlocking reinforcing strips or moldings along the meeting'edges of the case sections so that the walls of one section support the adjacent Walls of the other section against any relative displacement.

Another object of this invention is to provide internal flanges for the reinforcing bands or moldings to which the internal fixtures of a hand luggage case may be fastened so as to a hand luggage case of the character described having its complementary section hingedly connected along thebott om and secured together in closed position by latch means, the tension members of which lie within the wall thickness of the case sections to thereby insure a heater external appearance.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combi nation and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be 'made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention. constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand luggage case constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is 'a plan view of the hinged bottom of p the case;

Figure 3.is a side view of thecase inverted; Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the handle carrying top wall of the case,

said View being taken on the plane of the line 4-4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing the inside of the top wall to illustrate the manner of attaching the handle, said View being taken on the plane of the line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view through the "top wall of the case taken on the plane of the line 6-6 in Figure 1 and passing through one of the latches;

Figure 7 is a front plan view of the latch and the adjacent walls of the case, parts thereof being broken away and in section, said view being taken on the plane of the line l-! in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating the manner of attaching the latches, said view being taken on the plane of the line 88 in Figure 6; v

Figure 9 is a greatly magnified cross sectional view toillustrate the finished wall structure;

Figure 10 is a perspective viewof the laminations which comprise the sheet from which one section of the case is formed;

Figure 11 diagrammatically illustrates the manner in which the composite sheet is pressed to form;

tween two surface sheets 13.

Figure 12 is a plan view lookin at the inside of a formed case section;

Figure 13 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 12 on the plane of the line I3-l 3; and

Figure 14 is an enlarged perspective view showing one corner of a formed case section.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numerals 5 and 6 designate the cover and main sections, respectively, of a hand luggage case constructed in accordance with this in-.

vention. These sections are hingedly connected by means of a continuous piano type hange 1 extending across the bottom wall of the case, and are held closed by latches, indicated generally by the numeral 8.

The latches are mounted on the top wall of the main section and have tension members or bolts 9 which extend from the edge thereof to engage appropriate keepers I0 on the edge of the cover section. The top wall of the main section also has ahandle H mounted thereon by which the case is carried in the customary manner.

To the extent that the hand luggage of this invention comprises complementary hingedly connected sections held closed by suitable latches and provided with a carrying handle, it follows conventional practice, but the construction and method of making the sections deviates considerably from presently known practice.

Heretofore, it has always been the custom to build-up 'thecomplementary case sections from flat panels which had to be joined at their adjacent edgesand corners. To insure lightness and still retain desirable rigidity and strength, the better hand luggage cases employed this fabricated panel box structure; but the necessity for joining the individual panels and the fact that the panels had .to be fiat, limited the strength of the case and restricted the designer to fiat surfaces. I 1

In the present invention, these disadvantages of existing methods of construction are entirely overcome through the use of novel one piece molded sections. Each of the two hingedly connected sections of the case is a complete unitary molding with its bottom and side walls integrally connected. a

The method of making the case. sections is illustrated in Figures 10 to 14, inclusive. As here 7 shown, a plurality of laminations are assembled, placed in a press and formed to the desired shape.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated, a single core sheet I2 is placed be- The core sheet is preferably a thin slab or piece of wood having its grain running crosswise, as shown, and the surface sheets are preferably a fibrous material which is substantially impervious to moisture at normal temperatures and under normal conditions to which hand luggage is subjected.

These three sheets are blanked out as shown in Figure 10, with the corners notched or cut out to enable lapping and forming the corners of the case by pressure.

After treating the laminae with moisture and heat to make all of the laminae, and particularly the wood core, limp and pliable, they are assembled with a suitabl resinous glue therebetween. The assembly is then placed between the punch I4 and the die I5 of a press which forms or molds the composite blank into a shell or dish-shaped unit.

During the forming or molding, heat is applied to the punch and die so that the finished shell or dish-shaped unit emerges with a hard highly resilient substantially rigid wall structure.

To insure maximum strength, the walls are bulged outwardly and merge into each other with continuous graceful curves; and inasmuch as the grain of th wood core extends transversely of the core sheet, its tension fibers are disposed across the bottom wall and into the side walls to extend continuously from one side edge of the formed section to the other, as indicated in Figures l2 and 13. This gives the section exceptional strength in the direction in which the carrying load is applied.

At this point, it is desired to note that the wall of each section which constitutes the bottom thereof becomes one of the side walls of the finished case. The two short side walls of each section form part of the end walls of the case; while the straight and curved long sides of each section provide part of the bottom and top walls, respectively, of the finished case. 1 Inasmuch as the walls merge into each other, the section is seamless except at the corners where the material is lapped over and secured together by the resinous glue substance with which the laminae are coated before the forming or molding operation. 1

Attention is directed to the specific formation of the corners. By virtue of the notches in the corners of the blanks the amount of the overlap is not excessive and that which exists not only reinforces the corners substantially but as best seen in Figure 14 the outside surfaces of the corners are flush due to the offset compressed condition of the lapping portions.

The unit which emerges from the press has excess stock along the edges which is trimmed off to give the sectionthe desired depth. Thereafter, all edges lie ina common plane; and while the body section Bis deeper than the cover section, their open sides are coextensive in size so that the sid walls ofthe sections form continuations ofeach other.

Because of the outwardly bulging or convex formation of the walls, pressure applied to the sides of the case tends to deform the sections towards a circular shape at the edges. To .oppose this tendency toward deformation and to reinforce the edges of the sections against tearing, metal reinforcing strips or moldings are applied to the edges of the case sections.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, the reinforcing strips or moldings extend about the ends and top of the case and abut the ends of the hinge 1. The molding l6 which binds the edges of the body section 6 has spaced inner and outer flanges l1 and I8 projecting beyond the edges of the walls of the .body section to receivethe edges of the cover section which are bound by the molding I9.

This molding consists merely of a narrow channel and is secured in place by crimping in the edges and the side walls thereof; and, as stated hereinbefore, extends from one end of the hinge l to the opposite end thereof entirely about the remaining edges of the cover section. a

The body section molding Hi, to provide th channel into which the bound cover section edge fits, has an inside wall 20 offset and folded back on itself to provide the inner flange [1 and then extends across the edge of the wall.

At this point, the body section molding is folded back, as at 2|, to overlie its wall 20 and clamp the marginal edge portion of the body section wall therebetween. The molding thenextends out over the portion 2| to provide the flange I 8 from the outer edge of which an external curved finishin strip 22 is folded back to provide the entire visible part of the reinforcing molding.

Thus, it follows that the case sections have their meeting marginal edges secured against relative displacement by the hinge 1 across the bottom wall of the case and by the interengaging connection of the reinforcing moldings along the remaining edges of the case.

Prior to the application of the moldingstrips, the case sections have a lining 23 and an exterior covering 24 applied thereto so that the moldings engage over the lining and cover. Any suitable fabric or other material may be used for the lining and covering which is glued in place to avoid fastening means passing through the walls of the case or being visible on the exterior thereof.

The handle II is attached to the body section by standards 25 which are secured in place by screws or other suitable fastenings 26 passed through plate extensions 21 formed as internal parts of the inner wall 20 of the body section molding or riveted thereto, and through the wall of the body section to be threaded into the standards 25.

Any other suitable manner of securing the standards to the body section of the case may be employed; but in each instance, the securing means must pass through the plate extensions 21 so that the carrying stress i transmitted to the metal molding to relieve the walls of the case of as much strain as possible.

The inner wall 20 of the body section molding also provides a convenient support for the internal fixtures of the case (not shown) so that where the case is equipped with such internal fixtures, their supports may be secured to the molding wall 20 prior to the application of the molding to the section so that upon attachment of the molding, the entire assembly is completed.

In Figure 4 a bracket 20' is shown riveted to V the molding at a point to support the outer end of a conventional hinged garment supporting frame.

Thus, it will be seen that the moldings have several important functions. They interlock to hold the edges of the complementary sections against relative displacement; they provide means to which the internal fixtures of the case may be attached; they cover the joint between the sections; they distribute the carrying stress by having the handle connected to a part thereof; they reinforce the sections against deformation resulting from pressure on the side walls of the case; they simplify and, in general, facilitate manufacture of the case; and they provide a neat trimming.

The latches 8 are of novel construction, but their detailed design forms no part of this invention, being covered in a copending application of Edward N. Jacobi, Serial No. 364,054, filed November 2, 1940.

For purposes of this invention, it is suflicient to note that these latches are secured to the top wall of the body section by tangs 28 extended from the latch body or housing indicated generally by the numeral 29. These tangs pass through suitable apertures in the wall of the section and through an inner reinforcing plate 30 over which they are struck, as shown in Figure 8.

To protect the contents of the case from con- This outer end portion of the tension member or bolt has a thickness slightly less than that of the Wall so as to lie within the wall thickness.

'The extremity of the bolt is formed as a hook and projects through a hole 33 in the molding I6 for engagement with the keeper l0 carried by the cover section.

The keeper I0 is provided by one edge portion 'of a hole 34 in the web of the channel-shaped molding IS, the adjacent wall of the cover section being notched, as at 5', to accommodate the hooked end of the tension member or bolt. The notch 5 is contiguous to the notch 6' when the case is closed and together these notches provide a bolt chamber which is covered conjointly by the binding moldings and the latch body or housing.

An actuator 35 connected with the tension member and mounted on the exterior of the latch body or housing 29 provides means for rocking the tension member or bolt to disengage its hooked end from the keeper I 0, such actuation being prevented by lock means, indicated generally by the numeral 36, when it is desired to secure the case against unauthorized opening.

If desired, the edges of the case may be protected against excessive wear, by metal guards 31 secured thereto, as shown.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that this invention provides an entirely new method of making hand luggage by which greatly improved hand luggage is made possible at considerably lower production costs; and that the novel manner in which the latch is associated with the case sections and cooperates with their binding moldings makes possible a trim appearance heretofore impossible to achieve.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a hand luggage case: complementary hingedly connected sections having thin side walls meeting edge-to-edge when the case is closed, adjacent side walls of the two sections remote from the hinge having contiguous recesses opening to their meeting edges, the recess in one of said walls also opening to the outer face of the wall; a latch device for holding the case closed, said latch device comprising a mechanism housing and a bolt emerging from the rear of the housing and movable in a plane parallel with the rear of the housing but spaced rearwardly therefrom; means mounting the latch device on the designated side wall with the rear of the mechanism housing over the recess therein so that the bolt is in the recess; said bolt having a thickness slightly less than that of the side walls and lying within the thickness of the walls with its end portion projecting from said recess to enter the recess in the other section; and a keeper on said other section engageable by the bolt.

2. In a hand luggage case: hingedly connected sections having their side walls meeting edge-toedge when the case is closed, adjacent side walls of the two sections remote from the hinge having contiguous notches in their meeting edges; a latch device for holding the case closed, said latch device comprising a mechanism housing and a bolt emerging therefrom and having a portion movable edgewise in a plane spaced rearwardly of the housing; means mounting the latch device on the side wall of one section over the notch therein with said portion of the bolt in the notch, said portion of the bolt extending beyond the edge of the section to enter the notch in the other section; a keeper on said other section engageable by the bolt; and interengaging moldings on the meeting edges of the sections extending across the notches and cooperating with the mechanism housing of the latch device to cover the notches.

3. In a hand luggage case: hingedly connected sections having their side walls meeting edge-toedge when the case is closed, adjacent side walls of the two sections remote from the hinge having contiguous notches in their meeting edges; a

latch device for holding the case closed, said latch device comprising a mechanism housing and a bolt emerging therefrom and having a portion movable edgewise in a plane spaced rearwardly of the housing; means mounting the latch device on the side wall of one section over the notch therein with said portion of the bolt in the notch, said portion of the bolt extending beyond the edge of the section to enter the notch in the other section; metal binding moldings for the meeting edges of the sections, said binding moldings extending across the notches to prevent tearing of the side walls at the notches and said binding moldings having openings through which the bolt projects; and a keeper engageable by the bolt, said keeper being an edge portion bounding the opening in the molding on the second designated case section.

GEORGE HENRY WHEARY, JR. 

